To the Editor,

The City of Cranston’s $12 million budget deficit less than two years into Mayor Kenneth Hopkins’ term is hardly a shock. Looking back, there were early signs of fiscal irresponsibility. Among his first acts as chief executive, Hopkins installed a new couch, big screen television and gas stove to compliment his newly carpeted and color coordinated office. And he asked the City Council to increase the payroll in the mayor’s office. Meanwhile, he gave Northeast Tree Service a $73,000 no bid contract to cut down mature locust trees on Rolfe Street and replace them with smaller trees, crediting himself with “revitalizing” the area.

Hopkins says many of the financial problems began before he became mayor. That’s true, but as a member of the City Council, he encouraged wasteful spending that helped pave the way to today’s financial mess and tax increase. In one of his first votes as a Council member, Hopkins voted for a panhandling ordinance that was quickly challenged in court. Democrats had defeated the same ordinance, proposed by Mayor Allan Fung, a year earlier, arguing it was clearly unconstitutional. But now Hopkins cast the deciding vote with the new Republican majority to approve the ordinance. When Hopkins became mayor, however, he withdrew the lawsuit, paying the American Civil Liberties Union $140,000, in addition to the $150,000 the city spent on legal fees.

Hopkins also notes the city’s health insurance costs have increased, citing hundreds of thousands of dollars for firefighter health care linked to a fire caused by improperly stored chemicals at an Elmwood Avenue business. As a member of the Council, I urged Mayor Fung to sue the company for its role in causing the fire. Hopkins said nothing in support, Fung’s lawyer refused to act and now taxpayers are left to pay the bill.

A former baseball coach, Hopkins is willing to waste our tax money on ball field frills. As a Council member, he supported spending $200,000 to inscribe the Cranston High School East logo on the Cranston Stadium football field. As mayor, he wanted borrow $1.5 million to install plastic grass on three city baseball fields, but was forced to withdraw the idea due to procedural problems.

On the revenue side, Councilperson Hopkins opposed increasing taxes on large solar power plants in western Cranston to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. That proposal, similar to a plan recently proposed by Councilman John Donegan, was opposed by Hopkins confidant and solar industry lobbyist Robert Murray. Although commercial and residential property owners regularly see their taxes increase, Murray testified that taxes on large solar plants should never increase.

Our mayor and City Council should carefully spend city funds all the time, not just when facing a $12 million deficit. When they do not, tax increases, city worker layoffs and reduced city services result.

Steven Stycos

Cranston

Stycos is the former chair of the Cranston City Council Finance Committee